The Ground Beneath
by xxLiLixx
Summary: Quick little story about what an ideal final battle in Naruto would be like. lol Mostly from Sakura's perspective. A SasuSaku encounter. Just something I felt like writing one night ;D


**A/N:** RAAAAAAAANDOM one-shot-thingy... so random. Just felt like it.... randomly. This story is just outta no where... just did it on a whim ....so if its not that great then eh, oh well! lol Its not really meant to be great as much as meant to be a way to get myself writing again. Yeah gotta get back on track with my other story... if you are reading Masks then my bad! Sorry I've been lagging MAJORLY on the updates but uh yeah there's a lot going on in my life at the mo... buuut I'll tell you about it later in the next chapter of Masks... which I will hopefully be finishing very soon. XP Anyway enjoy this really out of the blue quickie that I put like no thought into whatsoever lol

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The ground beneath Sakura's feet trembled as she brought down another underling of their foes.  
There was too much chaos surrounding her, the harsh battle raging to all sides was so intense she barely had a moment to breathe.

Three days.

Three days, she and her comrades had been fighting nonstop.  
They have had no causalities so far: as to be expected from the Leaf's legendary rookie nine and the rest of Konoha's top ninja.  
But when battling against a seemingly endless army: everyone has their limits.  
The Akatsuki had just been toying with them, sending out these millions of pawns: now the real players had showed up.  
Leaf ninja had been recently paired off with the terrible hard hitters.  
Sakura and Sai had just finished off a woman who specialized in paper jutsu, alias Konan.

Taking this quick moment of victory, she looked up to search for her commanding officer who, last time she checked, had been dealing with the leader Pein.  
A glimpse of blonde flashed in her peripherals towards the cliffs to the south.  
She turned head and ran in the direction.  
She paused as she noticed the all the bodies of Pein littered on the ground.  
She was not surprised: she believed in her commanding officer's power beyond anything else in the world.  
Her commander, her best friend, her future Hokage: Naruto Uzumaki.  
She searched again for the blonde as she quickly ended the life of two lower level ninja, slicing them both in the abdomen with her kunai. She was only using kunai because she couldn't do anymore jutsu if she tried: her body was worn down, but perhaps she could just heal Naruto if she could find him.

There.

There he was standing, proud and powerful in all his glory against the cliff side.  
He was torn and ragged; she could see his labored breathing from here.  
How could he still be standing, let alone still ready to fight?  
He couldn't.  
Even his chakra supplies had run out, he could not win another battle.  
By himself he must have taken out at least one fifth of the enemy's forces **and** **then** taken down their leader!  
He was still the most amazing shinobi she had ever seen, it was an amazing sight: to watch a legend in action.

There was only one thing that could tear her eyes away from this beacon of hope.  
She let her eyes drift to the man who Naruto was currently shouting at and flailing his arms at wildly in anger.  
The man stood casually even though she could tell he had seen his share of battle as well.  
He looked a mixture of bored and annoyed as Naruto yelled and hollered.  
But Sakura knew those eyes.

They were Sasuke's eyes.

The onyx eyes that were passive yet calculating: even though he pretended not to listen, she knew inside he was analyzing and dissecting every word Naruto rambled.

She couldn't hear a thing that was passing between the two: the winds coming off the cliffs were too strong, carrying their voices away from her.  
But she knew that something major was happening at this moment.  
This was it: the standoff, the final showdown.  
She wanted to go to them, she wanted to, but she knew she couldn't.  
It wasn't her place.  
This was their battle, their war: Naruto and Sasuke.

It had always been theirs.

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That's when she noticed the third figure walking calmly to stand at Sasuke's side.  
An older man, he looked like an aged version of Sasuke and he donned ancient armor.  
Sakura was lost in confusion, she vaguely recalled the name Madara, but before she or anyone had any time to think Naruto's fist had clenched and he charged.

Naruto was too fast, no one could counter such an attack

He had used it: the Wind Rasengan against this mysterious man.  
The elder Uchiha attempted to dodge the insane attack but still got caught in the blast as Naruto literally lunged at him head on, sending them both toppling downward.

Time slowed for Sakura as the flash of light receded.  
All she could hear was her slow heart beat.

She saw Sasuke's eyes widen at Naruto, the first emotion she had seen in his face in all this time: surprise.

She saw Narutos hand full of the dangerous energy protruding from Madara's back and enter the ground behind him.

She saw Naruto's eyes drifting closed: that had been it, the last attack he had in him, there was nothing left, and she knew he was done. He looked almost contented as he and his opponent fell.

Then she realized something and her heart stopped.  
The reason Sasuke's eyes had widened.  
The reason Naruto was drained.  
The reason Madara was dying.  
The reason why… they were **still** falling.

That Rasengan was one of the world's most powerful jutsu and Naruto had just embedded it into the earth around the cliff: he had vaporized **all** of the ground surrounding them.

They were all falling to their doom.  
The two most important people in her life were going to die.

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Her mind buzzed as she watched them slowly descend.  
She didn't know what to do.  
She had to do something!

Without a second thought she ran as fast as she could to the edge and leapt.  
She dove down wards.

The first thing she saw was Sasuke.  
Their eyes met.  
Her breath caught and the heart that had stopped beating earlier suddenly went mad inside her chest.  
She was heading almost straight towards him he looked at her with mild confusion, surprise, and something else she couldn't quite place. She wanted to reach out to him and touch him but she knew she couldn't even reach yet.

He would think her foolish for jumping off a cliff like this wouldn't he? She wanted to smile at how little he of knew her.

To the right a little behind Sasuke was Naruto's peaceful unconscious body sailing downwards, the air jerking his clothing in all directions. She realized that even though she was still feeling everything in slow motion, they were, in reality, careening towards the ground at an alarming pace.

Then it struck her. Something she hadn't thought of when she had bravely jumped off the cliff after her two loves.

She could only save one of them.  
How could she be forced to choose?  
It wasn't fair.  
It was as if the gods had cursed her.

But she knew.  
She knew who she chose.  
Tears stung her eyes as she positioned herself straighter to fly downwards faster.

She locked her teary gaze with Sasuke's.  
For a moment time stood still, the two ex-team mates floating in midair staring into each other's souls.

Sakura knew she would never love another man as much as she loved him.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as he watched Sakura pass by him and clutch onto Naruto's body.

A tear drop flew up and splashed onto his cheek.

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Time returned to its normal pace as Sakura quickly secured Naruto in her arms and spun around in midair to look up at the top of the cliff.  
She reached behind her and pulled out a rope attached to a kunai and flung it strategically with her inhuman strength to embed it into the top of the cliff.

She felt an insane pull on her right arm as she held the rope tight and held Naruto with her left. They swung sideways and hit the wall of the cliff: rocks tore into Sakura's side and she groaned; she was beaten and tired but she did it: they had stopped.  
Now all she had to do was slowly climb her way up the rope with Naruto in her arms.  
She saw a dark shadow pass over head and looked up; Sasuke had activated his curse seal and was now flying to safety.

She felt her heart flood with relief at the sight.  
Then she felt idiotic for not thinking of that in the first place.  
Then she felt ticked off because the bastard could have saved them all and saved her all this trouble.  
Then she felt extreme sadness because he **could** have saved them and he didn't.  
Then she felt determination to get up there and kick his ass to knock some sense into him.

She began to pull herself up and was making good progress when she felt a strange jerk in the line: they dipped slightly.  
Sakura frantically looked up and saw the source of the issue: the kunai wasn't in deep enough, it was coming out.

Sakura wracked her brain for a solution to their problem; she couldn't just climb the cliff because Narutos blast had made a clean cut down the rock face, she didn't have enough chakra left to do any big jutsu, she had just used the last of her ninja tools, and Sasuke was gone.

They were both going to fall.  
They were both going to die.  
Even after everything she had done.  
It wasn't enough.  
She hadn't saved anyone.  
She was useless.

Naruto's eyes opened slightly.  
"S-sakura-chan." His voice was hoarse and weary.

No.  
She wouldn't accept that.  
She leapt off this cliff to save those precious to her and that is exactly what she would do!  
No matter what the cost: she would save Naruto!

As the rope finally came undone she pushed off the rock with her legs and flew into the open air.

Then with every ounce of effort she had, she gathered all the chakra left in her body into her arms and used her super strength technique to literally **throw** Naruto to safety.

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Sasuke had reached the top of the cliff and landed soundly.

The moments before raced in his mind.

Sakura had leapt off of a cliff.  
He briefly recalled she had done that once for him before.  
He decided she was an insane fool.  
She had looked so determined.  
She definitely wasn't the girl he remembered.  
When she had passed by him he had momentarily thought she had just decided to commit suicide and get it over with but then she turns around and grabs Naruto and saves him.

He was slightly impressed by her ingenuity in such a high pressure situation, also taking into consideration the fact that she should have been dead from exhaustion.

Sasuke stared impatiently at the ledge where he estimated Sakura would climb up in a few moments with the dobe in her arms.  
Then a random blur of color shot up into his vision.  
It passed over him and landed with a thud.  
Naruto's body rolled across the dirt and stopped in a heap.  
To say Sasuke was confused would be an understatement.  
Naruto rolled himself over dazedly and weakly reached his hand out towards the edge of the cliff.  
"SAKURA-CHAAAN!" Naruto shrieked with his weak, raspy vocal chords.  
Sasuke saw the tears rolling down the blonde's cheek and saw Naruto's fist hit the dirt in desperate frustration: Sasuke understood immediately.

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Sakura watched Naruto's body disappear onto the top of the cliff as she fell backwards.

He had made it onto solid ground safely, she had done it: she Haruno Sakura had saved him.

Sakura knew her death was impending, she had known from the moment Naruto said her name.

And for some strange reason she was fine with that.  
She felt tranquil even as she plummeted to her death: she had made her peace with the world.

In that one moment with Sasuke she had said everything she had ever needed to say to him and she knew somehow that he had understood.

The life and future she could have had quickly entered her mind but soon faded.

She had spent her life in the most fulfilling way she could imagine: helping others and living for her village: she wouldn't change how she lived her life because then she wouldn't be who she was in the end.

Every person she loved flashed in her mind, pictures and memories of people, places, and things raced through her head and she smiled.  
There were memories of her adventures, her friends and her home.

Konoha.  
She knew she was at peace because of something very important: she died in the most honorable way a shinobi can.  
She died protecting her village.  
She died protecting Naruto, the sixth Hokage and the future of the Village Hidden in the leaves.  
She smiled: there was no better way to go.

Sakura let her exhaustion take over and her eyes closed slowly.  
She gave in to her senses as she let herself slowly fade into unconsciousness: she heard the rushing of air past her ears, she felt air fluttering through her clothing and her pink locks wiping around her face, but most of all she felt the stinging cold of the wind encompassing her body.

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When suddenly it all stopped: the biting cold was gone and had been replaced by slight warmth surrounding her.  
Instead of the freedom of movement that came with falling: miles of air stretched out around her, she felt constricted with something blocking her front side and something tight wrapped around her.

Sakura cracked her eyes open slightly.  
She could scarcely make out someone holding her but they were backlit by the sun.  
She briefly wondered if she had died and this was an angel escorting her into heaven.

But when she regained focus she realized that this was no angel.

It was a demon with wings and her own personal hell: Uchiha Sasuke.

He had grasped onto her and was currently wrapping both arms around her as he flew downwards.

Then she realized something else: she wasn't going to die!  
She had a life ahead of her! CHA!  
What had she been thinking?!  
She wasn't ready to die yet!  
She still had things she wanted to do!  
Like see Kakashi-sensei's face!  
Renewed by these thoughts Sakura realized that any second now Sasuke could just drop her and be done with it; she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and entwined her legs with his, so it would be impossible for her to fall.

As she held on to him for dear life it didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke how her cheek rested against his and her eyelashes lightly brushed his skin.

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They finally reached the ground bellow the cliffs and Sasuke landed in a standing position.

Sakura did not move for a long while, still unused to the idea of being safely on solid earth.

They both remained unmoved, each wrapped around the other in an intimate embrace.

Sakura then realized that every single part of her body was pressed against Sasuke's built form and she untangled herself from him, abashed at just how desperately she clung to him.

She stepped back and stared as his curse marks receded, and he looked up at her.

She didn't know what to say.  
She was uneasy and wary: they were supposed to be enemies; he was supposed to hate her and everything she stood for.  
Yet he had saved her.  
Just like he always did.  
Her eyes softened as she took him in.  
He had just jumped off a cliff for her.

She opened her mouth to speak yet she didn't know what to say…  
Did he still care?  
Had he always cared?  
What did it mean?

As if he could read her thoughts he spoke.

"It means nothing."

He stared at her blankly.

His words struck her; she was surprised to even hear his voice.  
She recovered from her shock, gave a sad smile, and gazed into his dark orbs.

"Not to you maybe. But it means everything to me."

He was not so different from the Sasuke she knew as a boy: under all his cold stares and apathetic speech, he still cared. He had made a great effort to save her life: she meant something to him.

His countenance remained unfazed and he stared.  
There were a few tense and silent moments, Sakura shifted under his gaze.

"You know its funny… since you've been gone I've thought about all the things I should say to you the next time we met…. and yet here we are and I have no idea what to say…"

He remained silent.  
She always was the one who had to break the silence between them.  
She thought of the last time they had seriously talked… the night he left replayed itself in her head.  
Sasuke noticed the pained look that momentarily flashed across her face before she looked down to the ground.  
Another sad smile crept its way across her lips.

"I guess all I'm trying to say is… **Thank you**."

Those two words laid heavily in Sasuke's mind and memories came rushing back to him.  
Under normal circumstances Sasuke generally chose not to speak, but now he was simply rendered speechless.

He didn't expect what happened next.  
He watched as Sakura turned and began to walk away.

He was confused and he didn't like it.  
He grabbed her wrist, since when did she walk away from him?  
She was terribly shocked and turned back towards him.

He let go gently as he spoke.  
"What, no speech about how I should return to the village?"  
He smirked.

She smiled back, feeling an extreme warmth crash over her at the glorious familiar sight of his almost smile.  
"Well I figure, I owe you one, because you rescued me. So just this once I won't try to force you back, I'll respect your wishes."

He nodded solemnly.

"That is… unless you really **want** to come back… then I'd be happy to take you!"  
She smiled again and winked at him.  
He rolled his eyes at her childish antics.

"Well until next we meet Sasuke-kun" She started to walk away again.  
Sasuke felt like stalling her for some reason, he didn't like watching her walk away from him, it was… unsettling.

"Just don't go falling off cliffs like a fool anymore. A ninja should know to be more careful. I'm honestly shocked you've even survived all this time."

Ouch, that stung her ego a little Sakura spun around to glare at him.  
"Yeah well! For your information I jumped off that cliff! Thank you very much!"

She stuck out her tongue at him, he almost wanted to laugh.  
She had said that like that made it any better.  
She could be so annoying sometimes.

So she hadn't changed so much after all: she was still that girl he knew when he was twelve, the girl he had the strangest need to protect so that she could stay and be the one that would always be there for him

"Tch. Just be more careful."  
Sasuke turned around to leave her this time.

"You know what? I don't think I will."  
Sasuke stopped, turned to the side, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I think I'll just go on and be as reckless as I want to be. What's life if you don't go taking risks right?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.  
"Hn. That's idiotic. You're going to get yourself killed"

She shrugged.  
"Maybe."

Sasuke felt oddly angered at her indifference towards her own death.

Sakura just smiled at him and gave him a suggestive look.  
"Maybe I'm just hoping somebody will be there to save me when I fall."

She and Naruto always had the weirdest way of amusing him with their foolishness.  
Sasuke had to force back the smirk that was creeping up on him.  
"Hmph. Annoying."

She heard the slight amusement that tinged his tone however and it filled her with hope.

She decided to press her luck and take a leap of faith.  
What did she have to lose?

"You know Sasuke, you've been falling for so long…  
but Naruto and I are still waiting with open arms to catch you when you fall.  
We're still here.  
We're still waiting.

I'm still waiting.

I still…"

He stared at her.  
She couldn't read his face.  
This had been a mistake.

"… A-anyway… thank you."  
She walked away.

He felt that sickening sensation watching her leave: he wanted her to stay, he wanted her to finish what she was saying.

"Sakura."  
She wanted to keep walking but his voice always had the ability to stop her in her tracks.  
But she didn't turn, she couldn't face him after she had nearly confessed, twice, something she had tried to deny even to herself.

They were still and silent a few moments, the wind swept the leaves around them.  
Finally Sakura heard him stepping towards her.  
She stiffened; afraid he would attack, or perhaps knock her out again.

He simply walked past and paused to gaze back at her.  
She gave him a questioning look.

He turned and kept walking, answering simply:  
"We're headed in the same direction."

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END!

**A/N:** What did you thiiiiink? lol random. Review if you want! I'd like that!


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